Vegetable-cutter.



A. C. BULLEN.

VEGETABLE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.5,1916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

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ARTHUR C. I BULLEN,

'1 FFICE.

OF SWINK, COLORADO.

VE GETABLE-CUT'IER.

Application filed December 5, 1916.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Airriwn C. BULLEN, a citizen of the Ifnited States, and a resident of Swin'k in the county of ()tero and State of Colorado, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vegetable-Cutters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

[y invention is an imprm'ement in cutting machines for vegetables or the like, and

it is particularlv adapts] for use in making potato chips and sl1oe-string potatoes, in whichpreferred embodiment l. have elected to illustrate it. The principal objects of my invention are to produce a device especially adapted for household usein that it has a minimum number of parts, is cheap and economical to make, easy to clean and presents the minimum of danger of accidental injury to the user. Further and more particular objects and advantages of my invention will later appear in this specification.

In the single sheet of drawings accompanying this application and forming a part hereof Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my device;

Fig. 2 is a central, verticalsection through the same, the crank shaft and clamping stand appearing in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a side view on a larger scale of a form of knife adapted to produce shoestring potatoes; j I

Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the knife shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of a form of blade adapted to produce potato flakes.

Referring in detail to the drawings, in Which like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures, it will be seen that the main portion of my device comprises a casing (preferably cast), in the form of an open-ended, horizontal cylinder 10 provided with a feed hopper 11 and a supporting stand 12 which has clamping jaws 13, in one of which there is a clamping screw 14 by which the device may be convement-ly mounted on a table or the like. with a three-arm spider 1.7, and within the intenorof the casing 10 there is formed an inclined disk. 16 between the edges of which and the inner side of the-cyltnder 10 there Specification of Letters Patent.

e rear side of the cylinder 10 islprovided 1 Patented Mar. 27, 1917. Serial No. 135,118.

is provided clearance on all sides. clined disk 16 is supported at two points;

the lip 17 has contact with the outer edge of the cylinder 10, and at its upper side the inclined disk 16 is supported by a horizontal arm 17 integral therewith and with the vertical member of the spider 15. y

The cutting knives of my device are carried in slots in the outer surface of a cylindrical drum 18, which is open at the rear and closed at the front and which drum is rotatable within the previously mentioned clearance. The drum 18 is mounted on a shaft 19, which shaft is journaled at the rear in a bearing 20 carried by the spider 15 and at the front in a sleeve 21 formed as a forwardly projecting extension of the inclined disk 16. The shaft 19 is squared at 22 where it passes through a similarly shaped opening in the hub 23 on the drum 18, thus insuring that shaft and drum will rotate together. A pinand collar 24 on the rear of the shaft 19 holds the parts removably in place and the shaft 19 is formed with rotating motion to the drum 18.

In-Figs. 1 and 2 1 have illustrated my device as equipped with the serrated knives for ma king shoe string potatoes. These knives are shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4 and comprise a reduced shank 27 having screw holes 28 therein. The other ends of the knives, which form the cutting surfaces are formed into convolutions having serrated cutting surfaces 30. The surface of the drum 18 is cut out, as illustrated in Fig. 1, at a plurality of places to provide locations where the knives may be inserted. To the rear of each of these cut out portions the drum is notched (as shown in 31) to form a shoulder upon which the reduced portions 27 of the knives'n'iay rest and with screw holes registering with holes 28 in which screws 32 may be received to secure the knives in position. The relative locations of the convolutions 29 and cutting edges 30 on successive knives are preferably staggered so as to insure that one knife will strike the vegetable bein cut, not in the grooves left by the prece ing knife, but in-' stead'on the pro ections left by the previous cut. I InFig. 5 I have illustrated a plain knife adapted to forming flakes or chips which may be substituted for the knives shown in Figs, 3 and l in a manner perfectly obvious.

The manner of operation of my device will be obvious from the foregoing description of its parts. The vegetables to be out are fed in the hopper 11, which, it will be noticed, is located off center and has its lowest point 33 in the direction of rotation of the drum. The vegetables lying in the hopper 11 are contacted by the knives and sections of the same are pared off. These removed portions pass through the openings 34 in the drum which are just in advance of the knives and lodge on the inclined surface of disk 16 whence they will slide down off the lip 17 into a receptacle' placed thereunder. The wedge-shape given to the portion 33 of the hopper, together with the crowding action incident to the rotation of the-drum, will insure that the vegetables in the hopper will press against the knives and the slight lip 35 provided at its lowest edge will serve to retain small remaining particles so that all may be suitably cut.

It will be obvious-that if found more convenient in casting the inclined disk 16 may be formed separate from the cylinder 10 and held in place by a groove and tenon or other connection at X and by a lip or the like at Y; and that this and other changes in details of construction' may be made without departing from my invention. 1 do not, therefore; desire to be considered as limited details shown and described to the precise but may alter my device within the limits of the appended claims.

ters Patent is:

described my invention,

Havingthus Letwhat I claim and desire to secure by 1. In a device of the class described, an open-ended casing provided with a hopper and having a spider at one end thereof, an inclined disk within said casing and space from-the walls thereof, a drum rotatably mounted Within said caslng and surrounding said disk, a shaft upon which said drum is mounted, said shaft being 1ournaled in said spider and in said disk, cutting knives mounted on the outer surface of said drum, and means for rotating said shaft.

2. In a device of the class described, an open-ended horizontal casing provided with a hopper and having a spider at the rear end thereof, an inclined disk within said casing and spaced from the walls thereof, said disk extending substantially from the upper front side to the lower rear side 0 said casing, a drum rotatably mounted within said casing and extending from front to rear thereof and surrounding said disk, a shaft upon which saidldrum is mounted, said shaft being journaled in said spider and in a bearing carried by said disk, cutting knives mounted on the outer surface of'said drum, and means-for rotating said shaft.

3. In a device of the class open-ended casing provided with a hopper andhaving a'spider at the rear end thereof, an inclined disk Within said casing and spaced from the walls thereof, a drum rota.- tably' mounted within said casing and surrounding said disk, said on its rear side and closed on its a shaft upon which said drum is mounted, said shaft being journaled in said spider and in said disk, cutting knives mounted on the outer surface of said drum, and means for rotating said shaft.

l. In a device of the class described, an:

open-ended cylindrical casing -provuled with a hopper'and having a spider at one end thereof, an inclined disk within said casing, said disk being spaced from the cylindrical walls of said casing and supported independently of said cylindrical walls, a drum rotatably mounted within said casing and surrounding said disk, a shaft upon which said drum is mounted, said shaftbeing journaled in said'spider and in said disk, cutting knives mounted on the outer surface of said drum, and means for rotating said shaft. 7,

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. 7

ARTHUR C. BULLldN.

described, an

drum being open front side, 

